Sunbeam HTM5 Tea Drop 850 Watt Hot Tea Maker, Black: Review

Going by the description given in the commercial, the Sunbeam HTM5 Tea Drop no doubt appears to be the perfect hot tea maker available in the town. When I heard about this tea maker from the marketing executive I failed to realize the tall statements made by him to push the machine to me. Having bought this and used for more than a year I am of the view that this is not an ideal tea maker as it was portrayed. I would not say that it is total waste for $44, but keep your expectations low. Do not blindly go by the features and there is only half truth in it.

The Sunbeam Tea Drop is multipurpose tea makers that is supposed to heat, steep and serve hot tea. I would like to clarify that this is capable of serving warm tea and not piping hot like the one you get from conventional tea pots. It is a well known fact that the water used for making tea should boil nicely and the more hot the water the better the tea is brewed. I find that the Sunbeam works on the line of a coffee machine and does not boil water and dispenses warm water as if it is going to brew coffee and not tea. This spoils the authentic aroma and taste of the tea.

Now coming to the concentration of tea, it is equipped with a dial that should have been working precisely to alter the strength of tea to customize the beverage. But the dial is lethargic and is not under full control. There is not much of difference in the strength of tea. Even if I steep at maximum setting, I do not get a concentrated tea. I do not think that the Sunbeam Tea Drop can satisfy the taste buds of a tea addict who is used to taking good strong tea. This is good for those who prefer taking decaf tea, herbal tea or just to have something warm with a mild hint of tea.

I was told that the Sunbeam is versatile and it can take in both tea bags and loose tea. I prefer loose tea leaves and it was so disgusting to observe the leaves floating in the carafe and not fully steeped. Moreover it comes out of the basket and clogs making cleaning difficult. So forget brewing tea with loose leaves. This is fit only for tea bags and does a fairly good job. The bottom line is that it makes warm ok kind of two cups of tea in five minutes.